Mr STIRLING - 1999-10-12
In the NT News just last Thursday, the Minister for Planning wrote a glowing defence of the draft planning proposals. He attacked local government in that same article. Today, the Chief Minister has completely cut the ground from under his minister’s article before the ink was dry. Is the Chief Minister satisfied with the performance of his minister or, given his obvious lack of confidence in his minister’s arguments, will he remove him from this portfolio?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the simple answer is that I have absolute confidence in the Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, both sides of the House! There is too much comment. The Chief Minister has the floor.
Mr BURKE: He is a minister who is developing in experience and competence day by day, who handles …
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, members of the opposition. Order, Leader of the Opposition!
Mr BURKE: We have a Labor opposition in the Northern Territory that can do nothing more than giggle and read out prepared questions. What we have on this side of the House is a Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment who also runs Industries and Business. He runs a massive portfolio, particularly if you consider the Racing and Gaming issues that are on going. He is working closely with me on the vision for central Darwin and also the development of the Planning Act.
It is right and proper for the minister during this debate to put forward the government’s position with regard to the draft legislation. He has done that admirably, and at the same time …
Members interjecting.
Mr BURKE: This is a waste of time. I’m going home to play with my 10-year-old.
The minister has not only defended the government’s position with regard to the draft legislation …
Mr Stirling: And then you cut him down.
Mr BURKE: If we didn’t consider it worthwhile …
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Nhulunbuy is treading on shaky ground. Just keep it to yourself.
Mr BURKE: Don’t throw him out, Mr Speaker. Just let him childishly play around with his pencil.
He has rightly defended the sections of the draft bill. If they weren’t worth defending, we wouldn’t have put them in the draft in the first place. At the same time he has assembled the submissions and concerns and issues through the consultation process. Then he and I, as Chief Minister, decide where we move to from that point onwards. That was the precise reason we went to public consultation. And the result has been the changes that I have foreshadowed today.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, the simple answer is that I have absolute confidence in the Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment ...
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, both sides of the House! There is too much comment. The Chief Minister has the floor.
Mr BURKE: He is a minister who is developing in experience and competence day by day, who handles …
Members interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order, members of the opposition. Order, Leader of the Opposition!
Mr BURKE: We have a Labor opposition in the Northern Territory that can do nothing more than giggle and read out prepared questions. What we have on this side of the House is a Minister for Lands, Planning and Environment who also runs Industries and Business. He runs a massive portfolio, particularly if you consider the Racing and Gaming issues that are on going. He is working closely with me on the vision for central Darwin and also the development of the Planning Act.
It is right and proper for the minister during this debate to put forward the government’s position with regard to the draft legislation. He has done that admirably, and at the same time …
Members interjecting.
Mr BURKE: This is a waste of time. I’m going home to play with my 10-year-old.
The minister has not only defended the government’s position with regard to the draft legislation …
Mr Stirling: And then you cut him down.
Mr BURKE: If we didn’t consider it worthwhile …
Mr Stirling interjecting.
Mr SPEAKER: Order! The member for Nhulunbuy is treading on shaky ground. Just keep it to yourself.
Mr BURKE: Don’t throw him out, Mr Speaker. Just let him childishly play around with his pencil.
He has rightly defended the sections of the draft bill. If they weren’t worth defending, we wouldn’t have put them in the draft in the first place. At the same time he has assembled the submissions and concerns and issues through the consultation process. Then he and I, as Chief Minister, decide where we move to from that point onwards. That was the precise reason we went to public consultation. And the result has been the changes that I have foreshadowed today.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016